Indirect Lines: Halle Shifters, Book 5 (5 page)

“And the Prince, all nice, making sure Ken is properly stretched out.” Heather tilted her head and tapped her chin. “I bet he buys the best lube for his butt-buddy.”

“Ladies.” Her father’s voice overrode the sounds of Keith banging his head on the table. “That’s enough. No one gets to break Keith’s brain but me.”

“Ahem.” Their mother cleared her throat.

“And your mother,” their father amended.

“I hate you all,” Keith groaned.

It was so good to have her family back.

Chapter Six

Every time Barney came to the Senate building, he was surprised at how normal looking it was. The headquarters of the Wildlife Conservation Federation were a well-guarded secret. Only those on official Senate business were allowed in or out of the gated compound, but Hunters were the exception to the rule. It was assumed a Hunter was always on Senate business, given access to most of the buildings and offices. Only one building was off limits to the Hunters, as secret Senate business was held there.

It was the one building Barney most wanted to check out. The Senate archives were located there, and who knew what else. But wanting and doing were two separate things. Planning a break-in to the most guarded building in the shifter world was going to take time. For now, he’d focus on the original plan and head straight to the offices of his cousin, Carl Barnwell.

Casey Lee opened the door to the offices, holding it for Barney and Derrick. “Thanks,” Barney muttered. He glanced around, noting the lobby was quiet. Even the receptionist was missing. “Huh.”

“Did we come on a holiday?” Derrick’s voice was quiet, with an edge to it that had Barney’s hackles rising.

“Not that I’m aware of.” Barney’s sense of smell wasn’t as good as a Wolf’s. “Smell anything out of the ordinary?”

Derrick lifted his head as Casey Lee began walking the perimeter of the room. “Nope. Not a thing.”

“Hmm.” Casey Lee picked up a flyer off of the receptionist’s desk. “Maybe we came at lunch time.”

Barney glanced at it. It was for a popular local eatery, close enough to the Senate compound to make it a great spot for lunches and dinners. He relaxed slightly. Nothing was setting off his Hunter instincts. “Perhaps.”

It was unusual for him to be so on edge when coming here, but Barney had a lot more at stake than he normally did. If they could find out who’d really sent the order to take out Chloe and Jim, then maybe he could follow the trail to which Senators were involved and which weren’t. “Let’s get to Carl’s office.”

“Maybe we can take a look around there too, if he’s out to lunch.”

Casey Lee’s idea was sound. Barney nodded his approval.

Here and there they found occupied offices, but everyone seemed to be relaxing or working quietly. No wonder the place felt dead, everyone was either out or taking an open-eye siesta. Once in a while someone would wave a greeting. Trying to keep nonchalant, they’d wave back but continue on their way to Carl Barnwell’s office.

No one tried to stop them. No one had reason to. If Barney was there, then Casey Lee and Derrick must be working for him. Either that or they were used to seeing the mercenaries around the offices. Barney would have to ask them when he had the chance. It hadn’t occurred to him that they would be well-known figures in the Senate building.

Carl’s office was one of the occupied ones. Darien Shields, Carl’s secretary, sat at his desk facing the door and guarding the doorway to Carl’s interior office. He glanced up when they entered, a smile on his face until he saw Derrick and Casey Lee at Barney’s back. His expression became wary as he stood. “Can I help you, Mr. Barnwell?”

Barney smiled, hoping to put the secretary at ease. “It’s okay, Darien. We just have some questions for you.”

Darien sat back down, but his expression remained the same. “What do you need?”

“Take a look at this.” Barney pulled the letter out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Darien. It was the one that had sent Casey Lee and Derrick to Halle to apprehend, dead or alive, one Chloe Williams. It bore the seal of the Senate and was signed by the Bear Senator, Carl Bunsun.

“Yes, I’ve seen this before. You sent me a photo to verify that it was my signature.” Darien frowned. “But now that I’ve got the real document, I can tell you that it’s got the official seal on it.”

Barney’s brows rose. “Can you fake that?”

Darien shook his head. “Let me…” He rummaged in his desk drawer and pulled out a magnifying glass. “See here?” He held the magnifying glass over the image of the seal. “There’s a faint glitter to the ink, right?”

“Right.” It was there, a faint hint of silver.

“We put silver in the ink, sort of a nod to the old days when people thought it took silver to kill us. You could easily duplicate the stamp itself, but the pad of ink is only made by Senate workers who ship them directly to the Senator’s offices.”

“Is there any chance a shipment could have been deflected?” Barney handed the magnifying glass to Casey Lee, who took his turn looking at the silver flecks.

“Anything is possible.” Darien pushed his glasses up his nose. “We wouldn’t hear about it, though. That’s a different department.”

“Who’s in charge of ink distribution, then?” Derrick also looked at the silver flecks over his partner’s shoulder. “Once it arrives here, who hands it out?”

“Oh, that would be—”

“James Barnwell, as I live and breathe.”

Barney winced, then stood and faced the doorway. “Ian Holmes.” The last person Barney wanted to see today. Ian Holmes was the Lion Senator. Ian was one of the Senators who believed Hunters should be restricted to their territories and work solo, while Barney was of the opinion they needed to train and fight together to stop rogues. It was tradition versus progress, and while Barney could understand some of Ian’s arguments, he’d be damned if he’d see the Hunters he trained die from a simple lack of communication. “I’d say it’s a pleasure, but we both know otherwise.”

The Lion Senator didn’t bat an eyelash. “Come to see Carl? I’m afraid you just missed him. He’s out to lunch with Kris Jennings.”

“Kris Jennings? The Ocelot Senator?” Kristen Jennings was a four-foot-eleven ball of fire, and Carl was secretly terrified of her. “I see.”

“If you have no further business here, I suggest you return to Montana.” Ian tilted his head and frowned, looking confused. “Speaking of which, why haven’t you been guarding your territory, Hunter?”

It was all Barney could do not to swear. “Carl has me working on something.” The lie rolled easily off his tongue. “I’m a Bear as well as a Hunter, after all.” Hopefully Carl would back him up when he returned, or there would be hell to pay. Lying to a Senator and supposedly ignoring his duties could land Barney’s ass in shifter jail. Hunters rarely did well there, as most of the rogues they’d captured were incarcerated in the same facility. Accidents had been known to happen on more than one occasion. It was a fate Barney had no desire to pursue. And claiming to be working under the Leo’s direction, even if it was the truth, wasn’t an option. Sebastian Lowe had instructed Barney to be as discreet as possible, and he was going to follow that order to the best of his ability. There was no way Barney wanted to face Kincade Lowe, Sebastian’s cousin and chief bodyguard. Barney had seen Kincade fight, and he was terrifying in his single-minded lethality.

“Indeed, Senator Holmes.” Darien placed himself between Barney and the Senator, the slimmer man’s back stiff as he confronted Ian. “I was instructed to greet Hunter Barnwell and provide him whatever he wished until Carl returned.”

Ian looked less than pleased, but nodded reluctantly. “I see. Very well then, Hunter. Just remember what I said. You’re in charge of Montana and training new Hunters. Don’t let Carl keep you from your duties for too much longer. Understood?”

“Understood.” Barney smiled blandly. It was his intention to be permanently relocated to Halle come hell or high water. He’d retire if he had to. It was unheard of for a Hunter his age to quit, but he couldn’t imagine taking Heather away from her family and friends. He’d have to be the one to make the sacrifice.

After he solved the riddle, of course.

Hell, perhaps he’d persuade the Leo to allow him to train Hunters in Halle. There were enough of them there to give recruits plenty of experience working with other Hunters. He could probably get Julian DuCharme to assist as well. Having access to one of the rarer species of shifter, like a Spirit Bear, would be of immense value to future Hunters.

Ian Holmes nodded once to Barney, eyed Derrick and Casey Lee sharply, and left without another word. Barney turned to Darien and held out his hand. “Thanks, man. I appreciate that.”

“You’re welcome.” Darien scowled at the door. “The Lion Senator has been a thorn in my paw for months now.”

“Oh?” Casey Lee sauntered over to Darien’s desk and leaned casually against the edge. “Do tell.”

Darien shook his head. “I wish I could, but this is Senate business. I’m afraid it has nothing to do with you.”

“Or me?” Barney folded his arms across his chest.

“I’m afraid not.” Darien settled back behind his desk. “Carl should return shortly.”

“About the letter, Darien.” Derrick took the opposite corner from Casey Lee, but unlike his partner he stood straight, his arms loose at his sides. “Did you type it?”

Darien shook his head. “No. I told you before, I had nothing to do with this letter.”

“Yet you agreed it’s your signature.” Casey Lee picked up a pen and twirled it between his fingers. “So how’d that happen?”

Darien sighed. “You’re not going to intimidate me into an answer I don’t have.” He pointed to a stack of papers on his desk. “These are all of the documents I need to sign this afternoon. Carl’s stack is larger than mine. Carl decided we should sign documents on Thursdays so that orders arrive for Hunters and Senate workers on Mondays.”

“So this could have been put into the stack for your signature?” Barney stared at the pile of about twenty documents. “When does Carl stamp them?”

“Carl stamps them all in one go, then I stuff the envelopes and send them out.” Darien rubbed his eyes. “Since you contacted us, we’ve been making sure every letter we sign and stamp was actually written by us.”

“So you think Barney’s right, that someone slipped this into the pile?” Casey Lee was scowling at the pile of papers. “It’s still on official Senate letterhead.”

“Which anyone in this building has access to, from the secretaries to the janitors, not just the Senators.”

Barney turned with a relieved smile at the sound of Carl’s voice in the doorway. “Carl, buddy.” He held out his hand.

Carl grasped it firmly, pulling Barney in for a guy clench. “Cousin. Good to see you.” He patted Barney’s shoulder hard enough to move Barney back a step. “Darien answering all of your questions?”

Barney nodded. “We also got a visit from Ian.”

Carl grimaced. “Pain in my ass Lion. What did he want this time?”

“For me to go back to Montana.” Barney crossed his arms over his chest. “How much of a pain has he been?”

“Enough so that I’m thinking of complaining to the Leo.” Carl gestured for them to enter his office. “So. You’ve spoken to Darien, and you know some of the precautions we’ve put in place. You can’t open an official investigation into this without alerting the whole Senate. How are you planning on handling it?”

Barney grinned. “My way.”

Carl sighed. “Damn it. That’s what I thought.” He shook his head. “I’ll do what I can on my end, but the brunt of it will be on you, I’m afraid.”

“We’re helping.” Derrick shook Carl’s hand. “Nice to see you again, sir.”

“You too, Derrick.” Carl held out his hand for Casey Lee. “How’re things with you?”

Casey Lee took it, shaking Carl’s hand firmly. “Fine, sir. My momma says hi.”

Carl grinned. “Tell her to send me some of that homemade bread of hers, will you? I’ve been dreaming about it for months.”

“Will do, sir.”

Carl eyed the two mercenaries. “I need to get you access to the grounds in case Barney has to leave, but it will take time to make up a reason for your presence.”

Casey Lee and Derrick exchanged a glance. It was Casey Lee who spoke first. “We’re mercenaries and bodyguards. Say you’ve got a need for us, but you don’t want to go into details until the situation has been resolved. Make it personal, rather than Senate related. That should do for now.”

“If we need more details than that we can manufacture something,” Derrick added.

Barney shrugged. “It’s not a bad idea. It’s been done before, and will grant them access to the Senate buildings you work in.”

Casey Lee nodded. “And it will allow us to move around inside your office as well, see if anyone is using you.”

Carl glanced at Darien, who grimaced. “Agreed, but I want Darien under protection as well.”

Barney’s eyebrows shot up. “You think he might be a target?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m not taking any chances.”

Carl’s worried expression had Barney’s hackles rising. “You think
you’re
in danger?”

The nod he received was emphatic. “Most definitely.”

“Casey Lee—”

Before he could finish, the mercs were already in place, Casey Lee with Carl and Derrick with Darien. “Don’t worry, big guy. We’ve got this.”

“You take care of your end, we’ll take care of ours.” Derrick crossed his arms over his chest.

“Then I’ll start trying to figure out how our guy got hold of the ink pad.” Barney gave his cousin a guy hug. “I’ll be around.”

“Me too,” said Carl, chuckling.

Chapter Seven

“Just one more store. Please?” Chloe batted her lashes at Apollonia, giving the best puppy-dog eyes Heather had seen in quite some time. This was the first time in weeks Chloe had been available for a little shopping spree and Heather was enjoying the hell out of it. Just watching Chloe smile was worth listening to Jim’s lecture on keeping Chloe safe. Even Apollonia, the female Tiger assigned to protect Chloe, was ready to strangle him by the time he was done.

Apollonia groaned. “Can’t you people shop on Amazon? Hello! Free shipping, and you can shop braless.”

“Pfft.” Heather grabbed hold of Apollonia’s arm. “We might have to revoke your girl card.”

“I spent an hour and a half in Sephora. Isn’t that enough for you two?” Apollonia rubbed her cheek. “I might never get the blush stain off.”

“Oh hush. You look gorgeous.” Chloe rubbed her hands together as they headed straight for the accessories aisle.

“Can’t Jimmy-boy take you shopping?” Apollonia fingered a silky navy blue scarf.

Chloe shuddered. “His idea of shopping is ‘Ugh. Me find T-shirt. Me buy T-shirt. Now hunt steak.’”

“My kinda guy.” Apollonia winked at Chloe, who bared her teeth at the huge Tigress.

“My guy.” Chloe sniffed. “Don’t make me go shoe shopping.”

“Christ, anything but that,” Apollonia groaned. “I could see shopping for video games. Oh! We could hit Hot Topic! They have this awesome
Doctor Who
tank top I’m dying to pick up.”

“That does sound awesome,” Heather muttered.

“Next blip, I promise.” Chloe held up the ugliest floral cargo backpack Heather had ever seen. “What do you think?”

“I think you should bury it and put it out of its misery.” Apollonia grabbed a different backpack, this one in a simple black and white check. “Here. This one’s on sale. And it doesn’t make my eyes bleed fuchsia.”

“Don’t you think it’s too plain?” Chloe held up the two backpacks. “What do you think, Heather?”

Heather pointed at the checked bag. “Honestly, Chloe. That other one is colored just so people won’t steal it.”

“Feh.” Chloe put the ugly backpack down and was off again, this time squee’ing over a messenger bag covered in comic book heroes.

“She seems happy.” Apollonia was making sure to stay within five steps of Chloe at all times, even when it meant crowding Heather out of the way. Since she was assigned to guard Chloe, Heather couldn’t complain.

“Yeah. It’s good to see her smiling and happy. She wasn’t for the longest time.” Waiting for her mate had made Chloe dismally unhappy, but with Jim by her side she was back to her sunshiny self.

Heather began trying on different hats. She picked up a black trilby and put it on, turning this way and that. “What do you think?”

“I think she’s addicted to purses.” Apollonia shook her head at Chloe.

Chloe squealed over a teal purse. “I glove this one!”

“It’s adorable.” Heather pointed to her head, or rather the hat perched on top of it. “What do you think of this one?” She posed with it on, making cutesy faces until Chloe was tugging the hat off her head.

“Silly. Looks good.” Chloe clutched the purse, her expression bittersweet as she fingered Heather’s hair. “I kiss my hair.”

Heather took the hat back and grabbed Chloe’s arm. “You’re silly. Your hair might be a lot shorter than it used to be, but with the edgy bangs and the cute way Cyn shaped it, you look like a red-headed Anne Hathaway.”

“Your hair is awesome, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’ll eat them for you if you like.” Apollonia yawned, delicate little fangs making an appearance. “Speaking of food, when are we heading to lunch? I’m starving.”

Heather ignored her, choosing instead to focus on Chloe. “Let’s get you a hat too.”

Chloe glanced toward the display. “They have one like yours but in purple?”

“You’d look great in blue.” Apollonia dropped a navy blue newsboy cap with a cream band on Chloe’s head. “Yup. Perfect.”

Heather had to admit it. Apollonia was right. The hat did look good, highlighting Chloe’s cheekbones and the fall of her bangs. “Nice pick, Polly.”

Apollonia scowled. “I told you not to call me that.”

“I don’t understand why not.” Heather headed for the registers. “Apollonia is way too long.”

Chloe nodded. “And we can’t call you Appy. You’re not an iPad.”

“Loni could work.” Heather handed her purchases to the woman at the register. “Sounds sexy as hell.”

Apollonia examined her nails. Like a lot of the feline shifters, she could produce claws at will. While they were in public she kept them hidden, but the gesture spoke more than words could. “Punting you into the parking lot could work too.”

“I like Apollonia. It twerks.” Chloe grimaced. “You know what I mean.”

Heather bit her lip to keep from laughing. Chloe’s aphasia was nothing to laugh about, but sometimes the wrong words she spoke were absolutely priceless. She could just picture Apollonia shaking her booty in the clothing store.

“I do. Don’t worry about it.” Apollonia followed them to the registers, keeping watch over them while they bickered amiably about who had the better purse.

It was a good day. No, a fantastic one. Chloe smiling, laughing, acting like nothing had ever happened to her made this the best day Heather had spent in the longest time.

They made their purchases and headed into the parking lot. They were going to Noah’s for lunch, something Heather had been looking forward to all day. This lunch was on Apollonia, who’d decided she was tired of Frank’s and wanted a change. They’d offered to go to one of the other places, like Heather’s favorite taco place or Chloe’s sushi place, but Apollonia had refused. She’d decided Chloe needed a treat, so she was going to get one.

Heather wasn’t going to complain. Noah’s was one of the best restaurants in town, a popular date spot for those who could afford it. As an apprentice tattoo artist, Heather only ate there when someone else took her, usually her parents. Having Apollonia treat them was just the icing on the cake.

“Thanks for taking us to Noah’s.” Heather tucked her bag in the trunk of Apollonia’s car alongside Chloe’s. She hadn’t been able to afford much, but she’d enjoyed the day nonetheless. “I can’t wait.”

Apollonia smiled. “See? Don’t listen to anything Barney says. I’m really a good person.”

Heather’s brows rose. “As good as homemade gnocchi?”

Apollonia wrinkled her nose. “Nah. No one’s
that
good.”

Just as Heather started to laugh Chloe screamed. Heather whipped around to find a strange man standing there, his arm around Chloe’s throat and a gun pointed at Heather and Apollonia. He began to slowly back away from them, Chloe helpless in his hold. “I just want the white Fox. You two stay still and nothing bad will happen.”

“You know I can’t let you take her.” Apollonia’s claws were out. She took a stance that looked remarkably like something from a martial arts fight. “She’s my responsibility.”

“You want the reward?” The man tilted his head and eyed Apollonia appreciatively. “I guess we could split it.”

“I don’t think so.” Apollonia’s eyes had turned greenish gold. “It’s just not my style to share.”

The man backed up, still holding Chloe. Chloe was pale, her eyes wide in terror. “Tiger, huh? Haven’t seen one of you in a while.”

“You know us cats, we like to be fashionably late.” Apollonia began to circle toward the man. “Heather, get in the car, please.”

Heather stood there, shaking like a leaf. One wrong move and Chloe was gone. “I…”

“Go.” One of Apollonia’s clawed hands pointed toward the car. “Now, Heather. I don’t need you getting hurt too.”

Heather’s eyes went wide. Too? So Apollonia was expecting that someone would bleed before this was over.

God. No. No no no. Not again.

The man waved his gun toward her, making her cry out. “You heard the nice Tiger lady, kid. Get in the car and let me walk away.”

That must have been what Chloe was waiting for. He screeched as Chloe bit down on his arm, her fangs digging deep into his flesh. He shook her off, lifting the gun and shooting her as she ran toward Heather.

Heather screamed, her Fox demanding she find a place to hide, to stay safe. It was the same thing that happened when those men had cornered her when she was a child. Her Fox, desperate to protect her, had tried to force her to hide, but she’d been surrounded by huge men and too young to shift. She couldn’t get away, couldn’t find a safe place, not even in her own head. She was terrified, desperate to keep her soul intact as the adults tried to force her Fox out. If that happened, if she was forced into premature puberty…

What they wanted to do to her once she’d changed hadn’t sunk in until she was older. Instead, she’d been terrified by visions of her cousin Alex decimating her attackers, leaving her with years of nightmares. But the real horror had been in the men he’d beaten nearly to death. She could see them now, all of them, bigger than life and laughing as they tore at her clothes, taunted her Fox to come out and defend her. She’d cried out, screamed in terror, but nothing had stopped them. She’d been trapped, unable to defend herself.

The gun went off again, waking her from her nightmare.

She opened her eyes and looked around, horrified at what she saw. Chloe was on the ground, Apollonia was fighting with the gunman, and Heather was still standing there doing nothing. She had to do something, to help in any way she could.

She ran forward and began tugging on Chloe, trying to get her cousin to the cover of the car. Chloe helped, but she was bleeding from her shoulder, her arm hanging uselessly at her side. Heather helped Chloe up, shoving her into the car as the sound of fighting continued behind her. She didn’t dare stop to look. She had to get Chloe out of there. Apollonia could handle one man, but Heather and Chloe weren’t Hunters like Apollonia. Their best bet for survival was to take away what the man was fighting for: Chloe.

She scrambled into the driver’s seat, her limbs barely obeying her commands. Her hands were shaking so hard she couldn’t close the door. She’d get Chloe to the hospital, or better yet, to Julian. Julian could heal Chloe, no problem. Julian could handle anything. He’d saved Chloe once before.

“Ja ja ja ja ja ja.” Chloe’s hand slammed into the back of the passenger seat.

“Jim?” Heather slid behind the wheel, fumbling to see if Apollonia had left the keys in it.

Chloe nodded furiously, tears in her eyes, either of frustration or pain. Or both.

Heather was near tears herself. “I need to get you to Julian first, but we can call Jim on the way.” Damn it, where the fuck were the
keys
?

Another shot rang out. Chloe screamed just as white-hot agony ripped through Heather’s arm. She shrieked at the pain, clutching her arm and sliding sideways, praying the gunman didn’t fire off another shot.

A Tiger’s roar was all she heard before the sound of flesh hitting flesh sounded once more. Heather closed her eyes and prayed that Apollonia would get them out of this. Without the car keys, Chloe and Heather were totally boned. Everything was going dark, the world around her tilting sickeningly as she tried to stay conscious.

She lost track of time or consciousness, she wasn’t sure which, but Apollonia was gently shaking her. “Kid, I need you to sit up, okay?”

“Uh-huh.” Heather lifted herself up with Apollonia’s help. Her arm was throbbing fiercely and was coated in blood. “Chloe?”

Apollonia helped her into the passenger seat, but even with the help Heather’s vision kept going in and out of the dark. “Out cold in the back.” Apollonia slid into the driver’s seat, ignoring the blood Heather had left behind. “He got away.”

Heather sighed wearily. “Shit.”

“Yeah. Got distracted by the sirens and the hot sheriff. Someone in the mall or the parking lot saw what was happening and called the cops.” She shook her head. “Stupid amateur. This was the last place he should have tried his shit.”

Hot sheriff? “You mean Gabe Anderson?”

Apollonia grinned. “Is that his name?”

Heather groaned as the car jerked into gear. She tried to distract herself with thoughts of Gabe. “His mate’s name is Sarah.”

“Shit.” Apollonia’s grin disappeared. “I swear, all the cute ones are taken.”

Heather’s vision began to darken once again. Her heartbeat was heavy sounding, her pulse running a mile a minute. She began to shiver, cold creeping over her like fog.

“Wait.” A familiar figure, one white streak in his hair, came to the window. Julian was there, his dark eyes glancing over both Chloe and Heather. “She’s losing a lot of blood.”

Apollonia snarled. “I’m getting her to the hospital if you’ll move.”

“Hi, Julian. We’re gonna be on YouTube.” Heather chuckled. Her teeth were chattering, her limbs beginning to shake with the cold.

“I can’t fix that, but I can do something about the cold.”

She didn’t know how or when he’d gotten in the car with them, but they were already moving and Julian was doing something that felt really painful. “Owie.”

“Just a little bit more, okay?”

“Hurts.” Hell, his healing hurt just as bad as the gunshot.

“Can’t heal it all. Too many witnesses,” he muttered. She opened her eyes (when did she close them?) to see him talking to Apollonia.

“Agreed. Just make sure she lives, okay?”

“She will. I’m going to check Chloe now. Heather was worse off, but she’ll make it to the hospital now.”

Heather didn’t hear the rest. It was all just murmurs and lost words as she sank into the cold darkness once more.